Movie Review: What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Viago has similar struggles to all of us. He misses the love of his life and has had a difficult time moving on. He wishes his roommates would do their dishes and other agreed-upon household chores. He sometimes has a hard time getting a bite to eat. He’s just trying to find his way in the world, one night at a time.

Oh yes and he and his roommates are centuries-old vampires.

Thanks to Kelli for recommending this delightful movie to me! It was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed watching it. It’s perfect viewing as Halloween approaches.

Movie Review: Minari

It’s not often that a movie with a Northwest Arkansas setting generates Oscar buzz, but last year’s Minari not only did so but also won one (Best Supporting Actress for Youn Yuh-jung). As a result, I’ve been looking forward to reviewing the movie as soon as we received the DVD at the library, and I’m so excited to post this because it’s been one of the best new movies I’ve watched in a long time!

Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World: Botswana

Our library theme for 2020 is Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World–because with the library, you truly can travel around the world without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. Every month in 2020, we’ll be landing at a new place on the globe. In August, we’re in Botswana.

Movie Review: Emma. (2020)

Emma is a fantastic matchmaker–just ask her. She successfully paired up her beloved governess with a local widower, and buoyed by that success, Emma turns her sights on finding a husband for her friend, Harriet. In Regency England, successful matchmaking entails more than just joining two souls in love–it also involves ensuring financial security and securing/maintaining social status. Emma’s brother-in-law and family friend George Knightley warns her against the matchmaking shenanigans, but what could possibly go wrong when she starts trying to pair up the socially disadvantaged Harriet with the local bachelors? Lots. Lots could go wrong.

Parasite (2019)

Note: Due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in our county, we’ve had to close the building to the public again. However, we are still doing curbside service. Please check out our website for more information on how you can continue to check out items like the movie reviewed today. Thanks for your patience and cooperation!

The Kim family lives in unremitting poverty in Seoul, South Korea, though it’s not for lack of trying. Still, they subsist on meager wages from a pizza box folding job, and the most exciting part of their day is scoring free Wifi for their phones. That is, until son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) scores a job tutoring for the wealthy Park family. He sees a good opportunity–not only for himself but the rest of the family–and starts plotting to insinuate his parents (Song Kang-ho and Jang Hye-jin) and sister (Park So-dam) into the Park family’s life as well. Complications ensue.

Knives Out (2019)

Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is a fabulously wealthy murder mystery novelist who lives in a big spooky house with his strange family of leeches, I mean, relatives. That is, until he’s found dead. Was it a suicide? The police think so, though quirky private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) isn’t so sure. There’s a long line of potential suspects, starting with Harlan’s greedy, grotesque family, who all have a motive for murder. Complications–and zaniness–ensue!

My coworker Kelly had recommended this movie to me when it first came out–a recommendation that was also seconded by Jen–and thanks to you both! I’m so glad I watched it! I haven’t had this much fun watching a movie in, well, a while.

Movie Review: Move Over, Darling (1963)

Confession: Until recently, I had never watched a Doris Day movie.

Now, that’s not to say I had anything against Doris Day! I just had never had the opportunity to watch one of her movies and had never given it much thought beyond that.

A couple of our patrons, Joan and her daughter, are big Doris Day fans. Not too long ago, I was helping them find some Doris Day movies when it came out that I had never watched one. They encouraged me to give one a try, and I thought in light of Day’s recent passing at the age of 97, it would make for a good opportunity for a movie review.

So, a big thank you to Joan and her daughter–I did enjoy the Doris Day movie I watched. 🙂

The Death of Stalin (2018)

Okay, so I’ve never really watched the show Survivor, but the catchphrase is embedded in my brain from years of commercials: “Outwit, outlast, outplay.” If one were to devise a similar catchphrase for the historical comedy film The Death of Stalin, it would probably be “Out-scheme, out-mourn, outlive”. . . .

Rustler’s Rhapsody (1985)

It’s that time of year where entertainment is Santa, Christmas, and snow, non-stop. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but if you, like me, need a break from all that, perhaps 1980s cult classic comedy Rustler’s Rhapsody will do the trick!

Rex O’Herlihan (Tom Berenger, Platoon, Gettysburg) is a singing cowboy, one of the good guys. You can tell because he has a fancy wardrobe and follows a code of honor that involves only shooting the bad guy in the hand. This plays well in the singing cowboy movies he was designed for but is substantially less useful when he’s dropped into the real world. . . .

Ask The Blogger: Harvey (1950)

A few months ago when our blog first debuted, we hosted a “meet the blogger” reception at the library to boost patron awareness and also to provide readers with a forum for suggesting topics/books/movies for me to write about. One of the people I chatted with that day–Stephanie–asked me if I’d ever watched the classic comedy Harvey. When I told her that I knew the basic story line but had never seen it, she requested that I write about it.

Harvey is one of those movies that I’ve always heard about. I knew it starred Jimmy Stewart and that he has an imaginary friend, a giant rabbit. But that was about all I knew about the film. I’m glad Stephanie recommended it to me because it’s hilarious!